The Art of Mustang Customization

Customizing Your Ford Mustang

Beginning with the creation of the first Mustang, enthusiasts have thought of ways in which they could build upon the car’s design. This creative collaboration between man and machine has resulted in countless customized Mustangs roaring down roadways around the world. Jack Roush, Carroll Shelby, Chip Foose, and Steve Saleen are just a few of the many designers worldwide who have worked to make the Mustang more powerful, more appealing, and more memorable than your average stock machine on the street.

What is Customization

So how does one go about customizing a Mustang? Well, the options are limitless. Modifications run the range of a simple engine adjustment that provides extra horsepower, all the way to an elaborate custom job completed by a professional Mustang customizer. Ultimately, the depth of one’s vision, and the amount of time and money they are committed to spending, dictates the extent of the customization.

Do-It-Yourself Customizations

Let’s say you don’t want to pay top dollar to have a professional customizer modify your Mustang. You’d rather purchase the parts yourself and do the work at home in your own time. What types of modifications can you make? A few of the more popular basic ‘mods’ include:

• Performance Air Filter Installation
• Performance Exhaust Installation
• Cold Air Induction Kit Installation
• Performance Brake Upgrade
• Clutch Pedal Adjustment
• Vinyl Graphics Installation
• Spoiler and Wing Upgrades
• Stereo System Upgrades
• Alarm Installation

All that’s required on your end is purchasing the parts and installing them on your vehicle. One company, California Mustang Sales and Parts, actually provides do-it-yourself customizers with a visual tool named The PonyBuilder . Customizers select their vehicle, select parts for their vehicle, and then see how those parts will look on their Mustang. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Professional Customizations

Some folks would rather leave the nitty gritty work to the professionals. This type of customized job requires little or no effort. It can also require quite a bit of spending money. That’s not to say customizing can’t be financed for those short on cash. In fact, some people, such as customers at Galpin Ford in Los Angeles, Calif., finance their custom work into the total price of their new Mustang. Their new stock vehicle is then handed off to the team at Galpin Auto Sports who work to customize the Mustang based on the customer’s vision. A few weeks later they drive away in their customized ride.

Popular Mustang Customizers

• Galpin Auto Sports
• GeigerCars
• reenmachine
• Roush Performance Products
• Saleen, Inc.
• Shelby Automobiles, Inc.

Other Mustangs are customized at the factory level. These vehicles require no additional customization work after the initial purchase. Some popular custom vehicles in this category include the world famous Shelby Mustang, the special-edition Bullitt Mustang, and the 2008 Warriors in Pink Mustang.

As Individual as the Owner

Regardless of how a Mustang is customized, it’s the fact that it’s custom that truly defines the machine. Anytime someone takes a Mustang and modifies it to suit their individual style, they’ve created a customized Mustang. Just like a blank canvas, the Mustang is a fine piece of art just waiting to be painted. And for every individual Mustang owner in the world, there is a customized Mustang just waiting to be born.